Core orienting instrument



M. C. ALLEN CORE ORIENTING INSTRUMENT Filed Nov. 15. 1928 'April l0, 1934.

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Patented Apr. 10, 1934 UNITED STATES CORE ORIENTING INSTRUMENT Morris C. Allen, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Sullivan Machinery Company, chusetts a corporation of Massa- Application November 15, 1928, Serial No. 319,682

14 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to core orienting instruments, and more particularly to instruments for determining the dip ory inclination and direction of the inclination of holes formed by drills in prospecting for ore or the like.

In prospecting drilling for ore or the like, holes are frequently formed to a relatively great depth and the drill rods and drill are frequently delected to one side or the other of the vertical. If a vein of ore is struck, the length of the hole through the vein may be measured, but this measurement gives no accurate information as to the true thickness of the vein unless the dip or in-4 clination of the hole formed by the drill is determined. l

An object of this invention is to provide an improved instrument for determining this angle or dip and also the direction of inclination of a drill hole. A further object of this invention is to provide an improved core orienting instrument for use with rotary core drills for determining both the angle and the direction of the hole and the angle and direction of inclination of the bedding strata of the material encountered in core drilling. Another object is to provide an improved core orienting instrument of the compass type wherein gelatin or other congealable liquid is used which when congealed holds the compass needle in a fixed position relative to the instrument casing and including means in the form of a thermos bottle or the like for maintaining the gelatin in a liquid state when lowered with the instrument into the hole, and also including means for breaking thek thermos botf tle when the instrument is suitably positioned in the hole. These and other objects will subsequently more fully appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, thereis shown for .purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing,-

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinally extending sectional view illustrating the core barrel of a core drill and with which the improved core orienting instrument is incorporated.

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinally extending sectional view illustrating the connection between the inner and outer tubes of the core barrel.

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view through the improved core orienting instrument.

In this illustrative form of the invention there is shown a core barrel generally designated 1 of a rotary diamond drill with which the improved core orienting instrument generally designated 2 CAB is associated. Herein the'core barrel 1 is of the double tube type comprising an outer tube 3 and an inner core receiving tube fi. The outer tube 3 A. is threadedly connected at 5 to a head member 6 to which the usual hollow rod line 7 is connected. The outer tube 3 is also threadedly connected at its lower end at 8 to an externally luted guide member 9 which is in turn threadedly connected at 10 to theannular cutting bit 11. As shown, the bit 11 has formed therein an annular bore 12 which receives the lower end of a core lifter shell 13v carrying the usual resilient core lifter 14. The inner core receiving tube d is loosely iitted atr its lower end at 15 within the core lifter shell 13 and interposed between the lower end of the inner tube and a shoulder on the core lifter shell is a washer or stop ring 16. As is usual in core drills of the double tube type, the inner core receiving tube 4 is freely rotatably mounted within the outer tube and is supported on a ball bearing 1'7. Threadedly connected to the lower end of the head 6 is a sleeve 18, while carried by the inner tube 4 is a bolt 19. The flanged head of the bolt 19 engages the upper race of the ball bearing 1'7 while the sleeve 18` engages the lower race. Liquid is adapted to be circulated to the bottom of the drill hole through the rod line '7, passages 20 formed in the head member 6, through the space between the inner and outer tubes, the space between the guide member 9 and core lifter shell 13, and through a series of holes 21 in the bit to the cutting surface of the bit, in a well known manner. It will be noted that the parts of this core barrel and the adjacent sections of the rod line are composed of brass or some similar nonmagnetic material. As the specic construction of the core barrel does not enter into The improved core orienting instrument 2 herein comprises a metallic casing 22 herein preferably composed of brass or other suitable nonmagnetic material and provided with an upper large bore or chamber 23 and a lower lreduced bore or chamber 24, the junction of these bores forming a shoulder 25. Seated against this shoulder isa transverse partition member or dividing plate 26 also composed of brass and held in position against its seat by a pin 27. In the upper chamber 23 of the instrument casing an inverted glass container or bottle 28 is disposed. This glass container is closed at its lower end by a rubber plug 29 having an interlocking connection at 30 with the partition member 26. In this instance the bottle 28 is partially lled with liquid transparent gelatin or other similar congealable substance which solidies or congeals when set or hardened, but which requires some time to harden. Floating on the surface of the gelatin is a cork float 31 which has suspended therefrom by means of a ne Wire 32 a spherical frame 33 of brass or other similar nonmagnetic material. Suspended within the spherical frame by means of a hair 34 and submerged in the gelatin is a magnetic compass needle 35. The parts 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 form a buoyant compass floating on the surface of the gelatin within the bottle 28. Also disposed in the upper chamber i23 is an inverted thermos bottle 36 or the like having its open end closed by the rubber plug 29 and disposed within this thermos bottle is the bottle 28 containing the compass and gelatin. In accordance with this invention, disposed within the lower` chamber 24 is a glass container or bottle 37 closed at its upper end by a rubber plug 38 held in position relative to thev partition member 26 by an interlocking connection 38a. 'Ihe plug of the bottle 37 is held up against the member 26 by means of cotton batting' or similar shock absorbing material disposed between the lower end of the bottle and a brass plug 39 closing the lower end of the bore 24. The bottle 37 is partially filled with dilute hydrofiuoric acid.

As shown in Fig. 1, the upper end of the bore 23 of the instrument casing 22 is closed by a brass plug 40. 'Ihreadedly connected to the plug 40 is a suitable stufng box 41 having secured thereto by a shear pin 42 a plunger 43. The plunger 43 has a downwardly projecting rod extending through the-stufflng box and a bore 44 formed in the plug 40 into the upper end of the bore 23 in the casing 22 of theinstrument. This plunger 43 is adapted to be actuated in a manner to be later described to cause the pin 42. to shear off and the plunger to move inwardly within the chamber 23 to impinge against the thermos bottle to break the latter at the proper time. Threadedly connected at 45 to the plug 39 at the lower end of the instrument is a hollow tubular member or bell 46 composed of nonmagnetic material and having a conical bore 47, the `walls of which converge upwardly and inwardly. 'I'he chamber within the bell 46 is vented through a small vent port 48 at the upper end of the bell. The internal walls of the member 46 are provided with longitudinal flutes or' grooves 49 forming projecting ribs. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the lower end of the bell 46 engages and is supported by the stop vwasher116.

The method of use of the improved core orienting instrument will now be described. An annular kerf 50 is first cut out by a suitable core drilling tool thereby forming a core 5.1, the drilling tool used to cut this core being similar to that disclosed herein with the exception that the core lifter is omitted. After a core of suitable length has been cut, this drilling tool is removed from the drill hole leaving the core 51 intact with the bedding strata. When it is desired to determine the angle of the hole from the vertical and both the angle and the direction of the inclination of the bedding strata of the material being drilled, the core barrel 1 carrying the core orienting instrument 2 is lowered into the hole. As the core barrel nears the bottom of the hole, the core lifter 14 engages the upper end of the core 51 and stays stationary with the core as the barrel is lowered until it engages the lower surface of the washer 16, the core lifter then being shoved down over the core. As the core lifter moves downwardly over the core, the lower end of the bell 46 is forced down over the core into a position wherein it grips the core. The core gripping bell then remains stationary with the core and the core barrel then moves relative to the then stationary core orienting instrument, thereby bringing the upper end of the plunger 43 into engagement with the lower end of the bolt 19 supporting the inner tube 4. Upon further downward movement of the core barrel, the pin 42 is sheared off and the plunger 43 moved downwardly into engagement with the thermos bottle 36, striking a blow on the latter and breaking the same. It will herein be noted that the thermos bottle 36 keeps the gelatin within the bottle 28 warm, thereby preventing the same from congealing during the lowering of the core barrel within the hole. After the core barrel reaches the bottom of the hole, the thermos bottle is broken in the manner described above. Upon further downward movement of the core barrel, the lower end of the bolt 19 engages the upper end of the stuffing box and the core barrel together with the core orienting instrument is moved downwardly, thereby causing the bell 46 to be forced down over the core 51. The vent 48 prevents excessive pressure from'building up within the interior of the bell 46 as it is forced down ver the core. The ribs formed by the flutes 47 within the bell prevent relative rotation between the core orienting instrument and the core and cause the bell to be firmly connected to the core. After the core orienting instrument y.is seated tightly over the core, rotation of the core barrel and fluid -circulation may be continued without rotation of the bell and the core orienting instrument will thus be allowed to remain stationary until the gelatin within the bottle 28 of the instrument hardens or congeals, assuming a solid form and preventing any movement of the compass needle 35 relative to the container of the instrument; it being understood that the fluid constantly circulated between the tubes of the barrel and along the walls of the bore hole externally of the barrel is of a temperature sufficiently low so as .to cause the gelatin to harden readily. Simultaneously as the gelatin hardens, the acid within the bottle 37 etches a ring about the interior periphery of the glass container 37. After a required lapse of time, the core barrel is raised from the hole, the core lifter 14 gripping and breaking off the core and permitting the core 51 and the core orienting instrument 2 to be simultaneously raised with the core barrel from the hole. The core and the instrument are then removed from the core barrel and the plugs 39 and 40 unthreaded from the casing 22, permitting removal of the glass containers 28 and 37 from the metallic casing. The engagement between the bell 45 and the core maintains the core orienting instrument in fixed position relative to the core, and the glass containers, the rubber plugs 29, 38 and partition member 36 are so marked that the parts can again be brought into their original assembled positioned after they have been removed from the container 22. 'I'he angle and direction of inclination of the bedding strata may be determined by placing the plane of the etched ring on the glass container in a horizontal plane with the compass needle disposed between the north Tf and south magnetic poles. The angle and direction of the bedding strata may then be determined by checking the strata with the compass needle and the plane of the etched ring. The angle and direction of the hole may also be determined with the instrument in this position by checking the position of the compass needle and the plane of the etched ring with a vertical line. Other methods of ascertaining the angle of direction of the bedding strata and the angle and direction of the hole relative to the vertical will be clearly apparent to those skilled in this art.

As a result of this invention it is possible to determine not only the angle and direction of the drilled hole, but also one can ascertain the inclination from the horizontal and the direction of curvature or inclination of the natural bedding strata. It will also be noted that by the provision of the thermos bottle and breaking means therefor it is possible to keep the gelatin in a liquid state as the instrument is lowered into the hole and the thermos bottle can thereafter be broken to permit the gelatin to harden. It will also be noted that an improved core orienting instrument is provided which is of an extremely simple and compact form, which may be utilized in core drill holes and with cores of various sizes, which is very simple in construction and which tray be used in connection with core drills of standard form. y

While I have in this application specically described one form which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same has been shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms Without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims. i

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a core orienting instrument, a closed container having walls of low heat conductivity, an indicator including a receptacle disposed in said Closed container and containing a congealable substance, means for attaching said instrument to the lstrata at the bottom of the hole'-, and means for breakng said closed container when said instrument positioned at the bottom of the hole.

2. In a core orienting instrument, a shield, an indicator including a receptacle arranged to be shielded by said shield and containing a congealable substance, means for attaching said instrument to the strata being drilled, means for removing the shielding action of said shield when said instrument has been positioned in the hole, and means for withdrawing said instrument and a section of the strata from the holefin iixed relation.

3. In a core orienting instrument, a vacuum bottle, an indicator including a receptacle disposed in said bottle and containing a congealable substance, and means for breaking said vacnum bottle when the instrument is positioned rat l the bottom of the hole.

4. In a core orienting instrument, a vacuum bottle, an indicator including a receptacle disposed in said bottle, a compass in said receptacle and a congealable substance in which said compass is suspended, means for attaching said instrument to a core at the bottom of the hole, and means for breaking said vacuum bott'le when said instrument is positioned in the hole.

5. In a core orienting instrument, a vacuum bottle, an indicator including a receptacle disposed in said bottle and containing a congealable substance, means for breaking said vacuum b'ottle when said instrument is positioned at the bottom of the hole, and means for attaching said 'instrument to a section of the strata at the bottom of the hole.

6. In a core orenting instrument, a frangible contaner having walls of low heat conductivity, an indicator including a receptacle disposed in said container and containing a substance adapted to harden when said container is broken, and means for breaking said container when the instrument is positioned at the bottom of thedriuhole.

7. In a core orienting instrument, a supporting casing, a frangible container carried by said supporting casing and having Walls of low heat conductivity, an indicator including a movable in` dicating element in said container, means operative when said contaner is broken for holding said indicating element against movement relative to said instrument supporting casing, and

means for breakingA said container when said in-l strument is in 'a predetermined position in the drill hole. i

8. In a core orienting instrument, an indicator including. a movable indicating member, means for attaching said instrument to the strata at the bottom of the drill hole, means comprising a congealable substance for causing said indicator when said instrument is in a predetermined position in the drill hole to be held against movement relative to the strata, a container enclosing said congealable substance and normally sealing the same from atmospheric conditions in the drill hole, means for exposing the congealable substance to atmospheric conditions in the drill hole only when the instrument is in aforesaid predetermined position, and means for removing said instrument from the drill hole together wth a section of the strata. 4

9. In a core orienting instrument, a frangible container having Walls of low heat conductivity, an indicator disposed in said container, means alected by a change in temperature for holding said indicator in its indicating position, and means operative when said instrument is in a predetermined position in the drill hole for breaking said container to effect such temperature change.

10. In a core orienting instrument, an indicating device having a movable indicator element, means comprising ia congealable substance aliected bya change intemperature for holding said indicator element in its indicating position, a container enclosing said congealable substance and normaly sealing the same from atmospheric conditions in the drill hole, and means for effecting such change in temperature by exposing the congealable substance to atmospheric conditions withinthe drill hole only when said indicating device is in a predetermined position in the drill hole.

11. In a core orientingv instrument, a shield having walls of low heat conductivity, a closed container arranged within said shield and containing a congealablesubstance, an indicator in said container submerged in the congealable substance, and means for removing said shield to expose the congealable substance to atmospheric conditions in the drill hole'to allow said substance to congeal to hold said indicator in indicating position' only when the instrument is positioned at the bottom of the drill hole.

12. In a core orienting instrument, a shield having walls of low heat conductivity, a closed container arranged within said shield and containing a congealable substance, an indicator in said container submerged in the congealable substance, means for attaching the instrument to the strata at the bottom of the hole; and means for removing said shield to expose the congealable substance to atmospheric conditions in the drill hole to allow said substance to congeal to hold said indicator in indicating position only when the instrument is positioned at the bottom of the drill hole.

13. In a core orienting instrument, a shield having walls of low heat conductivity, a closed container arranged within said shield and containing a congealable substance, an indicator in said container submerged in the congealable substance, means for attaching the instrument to the strata at the bottom of the hole, means for removing said shield to expose the congealable substance to atmospheric conditions in the drill hole to allow said substance to congeal to ,hold ,said indicator in indicating position only when the instrument is positioned at the bottom of the drill hole, and means for withdrawing the instrument and a section of the strata from the hole in ilxed relation. Y

14. In a core orienting instrument, a closed container containing a congealable substance, an indicator in said container submerged in said congealable substance, means for attaching the instrument to the strata at the bottom of the drill hole, means for preventing congealing of said congealable substance during lowering of the instrument into the drill hole, said latter means being rendered inoperative when the instrument is attached to the strata, and means controlled automatically by engagement of the instrument with the strata at the bottom of the drill hole for rendering said latter means wholly inoperative when the instrument is so attached.

' MORRIS C. ALLEN. 

